Grade 8 class from Medicine Hat winners of Canada's Coolest School Trip

Students from Alberta win opportunity to discover Parks Canada places in Ontario this summer

OTTAWA, April 10, 2018 /CNW/ - Today, Parks Canada's Honourary Guide for Families, Sophie Grégoire Trudeau, announced that the grade 8 class from Dr. Roy Wilson Learning Centre School in Medicine Hat, Alberta, won the 2017-2018 edition of Canada's Coolest School Trip. Classes from across Canada participated in a photo-essay contest about their involvement in an environmental, historical, or cultural conservation activity, including an explanation of how it connects to Parks Canada.

As participants in Canada's Coolest School Trip contest, hundreds of students from across Canada worked together with their classmates to make a difference in their communities, including organizing shoreline clean-ups, reducing plastic pollution, sharing local history and so much more.

This year's winning class will have the opportunity to experience the outdoors and learn more about our environment and heritage at Parks Canada places in Ontario. Students will island hop through crystal blue waters at Thousand Islands National Park, learn the art of iron work at the Blacksmith's Shop at the Rideau Canal National Historic Site, fire a cannon at Fort Wellington National Historic Site, and participate in a theatre performance at Laurier House National Historic Site. In addition, the class will also explore the nation's capital and all that it has to offer!

Parks Canada would like to thank all the students and teachers from across the country who took the time and effort to enter this year's contest and make an important contribution to their community.

This year, the Government is also celebrating families and the importance of protected areas with free admission for youth 17 and under to all national parks, historic sites and marine conservation areas, starting in 2018 and beyond. This will make discovering nature and connecting with our history easier and more affordable for families.

Quote

"I am excited to announce today the winners of Canada's Coolest School Trip from Dr. Roy Wilson Learning Centre School in Medicine Hat, Alberta. Adele Henderson's grade 8 class will embark on an unforgettable trip to Parks Canada's places in Ontario this June. When young Canadians visit our national treasures, they get inspired to protect our nature, care for heritage and most importantly, they create memories that will last a lifetime. This is why I am so pleased that all Parks Canada places will now be free, forever, for youth 17 and under."

Sophie Grégoire Trudeau,
Parks Canada's Honourary Guide for Families

Quick Facts

• Canada's Coolest School Trip is a contest offered through the My Parks Pass program. My Parks Pass is a collaborative program between Parks Canada, Canadian Geographic Education, the Canadian Wildlife Federation, and Historica Canada. The program is supported by contest partner Air Canada. Meals, accommodations, and transportation will be provided.
• Classes with up to 35 students from a grade 7, 8 and 9 / secondary 1, 2 and 3 were eligible to enter the contest. Entries were received between September 1, 2018, and February 26, 2018. A panel of judges selected the winning entry from ten essays that received the most public votes and five additional Staff Pick finalists.
• Other prizes include three runner-up local Parks Canada field trips and six honourable mention prize packages. The runner-up prizes were awarded to classes at the following schools: Juvénat Notre-Dame du St-Laurent (Lévis, QC), Timothy Christian School (Chilliwack, BC), Indian Head High School (Indian Head, SK). These classes have won a field trip to a local Parks Canada place or to a special natural or historic place near them.
• To view the entries or for additional information and for the full contest rules and conditions, visit www.contest.myparkspass.ca.

Associated Links

• Parks Canada website
• My Parks Pass website
• Parks Canada Discovery Pass Order Online
• Parks Canada Campsite Online Reservation System
• Parks Canada mobile application

SOURCE Government of Canada

For further information: Caroline Thériault, Office of the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, [e-mail]; Media Relations, Parks Canada Agency, 855-862-1812, [e-mail]

Related Links

https://www.canada.ca

Organization Profile

Government of Canada

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